Thrashing-machine



(No Model.)

3 She'ets' Sheet 2.

I. WQ'WOODBURN. THRASHING MACHINE.

Patented Dec. 11, 1894.

INVENT H BY M WITNESSES.- 6,440

ATTORNEYS.

m: "cams PEYERS o0. Puma-Luna. WASNKNGTON. o c.

NIT-En STATES PATENT OFFICE;

ISAAC l/VHITMAN WOODBURN, OF ROCK RAPIDS, IOWA.

Tl- IRASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 530,815, dated December 1 1, 1894.

Application filed July 7, 1894. Serial No- 516.790- ,(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IsAAo WHITMAN W001)- BURN, of Rock Rapids, in the county of Lyon and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Thrashing-Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in thrashing machines, and it'has for its object to provide a machine of simple, durable and economic construction, and one which will run smoothly and will be devoid of a side and end shake incident to machines of ordinary construction, whereby better results in separation and cleaning are obtained than heretofore.

A further object of the invention is to provide a thrashing machine which will require but little power to run the same, and one wherein the engine may be located upon the machine and carried thereby, and whereby the machine will not need leveling and setting, and wherein the blower employed will do double duty, serving to draw the chaff from the grain and also to expedite the exit of the straw from the machine.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the machine. Fig. 1 is a side elevation partially in section of the'remainingor forward portion of the machine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken essentially on the line 33 of Fig. 1". Fig. 4 is a similar section taken on the line 4- of Fig.1; and Fig. 5 is a like section taken essentially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

In carrying out the invention the main supporting cylinder A of the thrasher is of a predetermined length and diameter, and is provided with a series of apertures 10, imparting to it a sieve-like-appearance, the apertures being of sufficient size to permit the grain thrashed to pass through them into a cylindrical casingB, which casing surrounds the cylinder.

the cylinder, being supported therefrom a predetermined distance, or a sufficient distance to-admit of spiral flanges or plates 11 being produced upon the exterior of the main cylinder A, the said plates being so arranged as to convey the grain in the casing B in direction of the front of, and in fact to the front of the machine. The main cylinder A, is adapted to be revolved, and to that end it is supported upon roller bearings 12, located upon the inner face of the casing B, and the front marginal portion of the cylinder is provided with an attached ear 13, or with a series of teeth meshin g with a pinionll l, located upon a drive shaft 15,'which shaft is at one end of the machine, usually between the casing and The casing is supported in a framework 0 of any approved construction, the said framework being mounted upon rear axles 16, providedwith suitable supporting wheels 17, and a forward axle 18 having suitablesupporting wheels 19. The rear axle is pivotally" connected with the frame, since when themachine is drawn over the ground its rear end is foremost.

The grain, after it has passed through the apertures 10 in the main cylinder A and is received into the casing B, is delivered by said casing through an opening 20 to an elevator D, the said elevator consisting of a suitable framing or casing in which upper and lower drums 21 and 22 are made to revolve, the

drums carrying endless belts having series of cups 23 attached to them, and the cups take up the grain as it is delivered into the elevator casing and carry the grain upward to a point to be hereinafter described.

The usual thrashing cylinder E is employed, together with an adjustable concave E, and the material to be thrashed is fed to the concave and thrashing cylinder by any approved form of feed mechanism, and as the grains or kernels areseparated from the straw by the action of the thrashing cylinder and concave,

the grain drops into the main cylinderA and through the apertures in said cylinder, while the straw is gradually fed to the rear end of the casing, which is provided with a substan tially funnel-shaped rear end B, as shown in Fig.1 It mayhere be remarked that'the front of the casing B is closed with the exceptoo tion of that point where the elevator connects with it.

A guide board 24, is located above the thrashing cylinder E and extends within the main cylinder A, the said board being secured to the casing in order that the grain shall not fly upward but will be compelled to take a downward course; and it may here be remarked that a suitable opening may be made in the front of the casing to receive the thrashing cylinder and its concave, while another opening is made above the said cylinder to receive a fan casing 25, in which casing a fan 26 is mounted to revolve, and this fan discharges through a chute 27 connected with this casing and extending to the funnel-like rear extremity B of the casing B. By this means the action of the fan in discharging its chaff will serve to force the straw from the delivery end of the said casing 13.

At the upper right-hand side of the machine a small rotating cylinder 28, is located, being supported upon suitable guide rollers located at the front and rear central portion of the machine, and a housing 30, is made to surround the smaller casing 28 and likewise receive a screw conveyer 31, to be located beneath the casing28. The casing 28 is in direct communication with the elevator D, and receives the grain therefrom. This casing 28, is provided with an exterior spiral flange whereby the grain is conducted rearward, and the casing extends from front to rear of the machine. The casing at its rear half is provided with a series of holes through which the fine grain may pass and be received by the screw conveyer 31. Consequently, the housing at the rear portion of the screw conveyer 31 and the corresponding portion of the separating cylinder 28, do not separate the cylinder from the conveyer, but such a separation is effected at the forward portion of the two, and the material, that is, the fine grain or screenings delivered to the conveyer 31, will find an exit at about the central portion of the said conveyer through a spout 32, as illustrated in Fig. 1

The fan 25 is connected with the screening cylinder 28 through the medium of a branch 33, as shown in Fig. 2, and the said fan casing is likewise connected by a branch pipe 34 with the conveyer 31, the said fan serving to exhaust from the conveyer and cylinder any loose material, such .as hulls, 850., and draw said material into its casing, expelling it through the exit end of the main casing of the machine. In other words, the fan serves as an exhaust for the conveyer and upper screening cylinder, taking the air from these points.

At the upper right-hand end of the machine a tube 29, is located, which connects with the fan casing through a pipe 42 to be hereinafter described, and this tube 29 is carried to the rear of the machine, and is provided with a valve whereby the air supply to the fan may be regulated, since this tube is adapted to supply the fan with air. Alike tube 29,

is placed at the upper left-hand corner of the machine, communicating with the fan through the pipe 33, and connecting with the conveyer 28 at the rear of the latter.

A conveyer 35, is located at the rear of the machine, as shown in Fig. 5, and receives the grain from the screening cylinder 28, the grain being delivered to the said conveyer 35, through the medium of a chute 36, or its equivalent; and the grain delivered to the conveyer is delivered by the conveyer to a second screening cylinder 37, located at the upper left-hand portion of the machine. and outside of the casing. The left-hand screening cylinder 37 is supported in like manner as the right-hand corresponding cylinder 28. The left-hand cylinder 37, however, has its first or rear half apertured to permit the passage of moderate sized grains or kernels,while the second half is provided with large apertures to permit the passage of larger grain. This cylinder is also provided with spiral flanges upon its innerside, whereby the grain is conducted from the rearin direction of the front, and the cylinder is surrounded by a hood or housing 38, which likewise includes a screw conveyer 39. This conveyer receives both the large and the small grain, the small grain finding an exit through an oif-take chute 40, located at the left-hand side of the conveyer, or at any predetermined point, while the coarser grain, which is delivered to the conveyerin advance of the chute 40,continues forward and is again delivered to the thrashing cylinder and concave E and E, through the medium of a conducting chute 41. The left-hand screening cylinder is connected with the blower casing through the medium of abranch42, whereby the fan contained in the casing 25 will draw from the left-hand cylinder also any chad that may still remain mingled with the grain.

In the operation of driving this machine,

IIO

power is taken from a motor, for example, a

, sion of the main frame 0. The drive shaft 43 of this motor is provided with a pulley 44, which is connected by a belt 45 with a driving pulley 46 located upon the thrashing cylinder shaft 47, and the said shaft is provided at one of its ends with a worm 48, or its equivalent, meshing with a gear 49, carried by the drive shaft 15 of the main cylinder A.

At the opposite end of the driving shaft 47 of the machine, a driving pulley 50 is located, which is preferably in belt connection 51 with a pulley 52 upon one of the frame shafts of the elevator. The screening cylinder 28, is provided with a gear 53 at its forward end, and the said gear is made to mesh with a pinion 54, meshing in turn with the gear upon the main cylinder A, and receiving motion therefrom.

The left-hand screening cylinder 37, is provided with a like gear 55, and this gear usually meshes with a pinion 56 which receives seq ere its motion from a pinion 57, located upon the shaft of the screw conveyer 39, the pinion 57 receiving its motion from the gear 13011 the main cylinder A. The rear end of the screw conveyer shaft 39, is provided with a beveled gear 58, and this gear meshes with a like gear 59, located upon the frame, having an attached pulley which is connected by a belt 60 with a pulley 61, located upon the shaft of the rear conveyer 35. In thismanner allof the operative parts of the machine are driven from one motor, since a pulley 62, is located upon the thrashing cylinder shaft 47, and is connected by a belt 63 with a pulley 64, located on the fan shaft.

In the operation of this machine, straw and grain in separated form are delivered into the main apertured revolving separatingcylinder A, whereupon the grain passes through the apertures in the said cylinder, and is received in a surrounding casing, the grain through the medium of the spiral flanges formed upon the main cylinder being fed to the front of the casing. The grain is here taken up by the elevator and carried to a second separating and revolving cylinder, and from this cylinder the screenings are received by a conveyer and conducted to a predetermined point outside of the machine, while the major portion of the grain, or that remaining in the cylinder, is conveyed to a second conveyer located at the rear of the machine and conducted to a third screening or separating cylinder, and through the medium of this cylinder the small'and the best grain is separated and delivered outside of the machine. The larger grain, and any foreign material that may remain, together with the grain not separated from the husk, is again conducted to the separating cylinder and concave to be again conducted through the machine. The straw passes rearward in the main screening cylinder A to an outletin the casingsurrounding this cylinder, and the fan receiving its.

source of air supply from the conveyors and upper screening cylinders, will draw from these latter the chaff or loose foreign material, and carry the same, with the airexhausted from the cylinders and conveyers, into a discharge chute or funnel, extending through the main screening cylinder to the outlet of the casing, stopping short of said outlet in order that the exhaust fan may be utilized to facilitate the passage of the straw from the exit of the machine. I i

The machine is exceedingly simple, durable and economic in its construction, and may be readily transported from place to place. It'

is operated without any end or side shake, and the various rotating cylinders for cleaning purposes, together with the conveyors and air supply, serve to effectually clean the grain after it is separated, in a novel and likewise in an expeditious manner.

The operation of the machine may be said to be thoroughly automatic after the straw ders,

mounted in the said casing, an exhaust chute has been once delivered to the concave and thrashing cylinder.

It will be observed that the power and machine are mounted upon the same wheels, and ifin practice it is found desirable, the engine employed for driving the machine may be utilized for traction purposes, moving the machine from place to place.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a thrashing machine, a casing, a

screening cylinder mounted to revolve in the casing, provided with exterior spiral ribs serving to convey the,v screened material in direction of one end of the casing, a concave and cylinder leading into the screening cylinder, an elevator receiving the screened material and conducting the same to auxiliary rotary screening cylinders, and a fan receiving its air supply from the auxiliary screening cylinders and exhausting at the de livery end of the main casing, whereby the chaff is drawn from the grain by the fan and the exhaust from the fan serves to facilitate the .exit of the straw, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a thrashing machine, the combina tion, with a casing having a discharge opening at one of its ends, a main screening cylinder mounted to revolve in said casing and provided with exterior ribs,spirally arranged and serving to conduct the screened material in direction of one end in anopposite direction to that of the outlet,and a cylinder and concave leading into the main screening cylinder, of an elevator receiving the screened material from said casing, auxiliary revoluble screening cylinders, provided with apertured or screening surfaces of difierent mesh,

a communication being established between" both of the auxiliary cylinders and'one of said cylinders and the elevator, a fan casing containing a revoluble fan, a connection betoo elevator connected withthe opposite end, a

main screening cylinder mounted to revolve in the said casing, having spiral ribs adapted to vconduct the screened material to the elevator, and a concave and thrashing cylinder leading into the main screening cylinder, of auxiliary revoluble screening cylinders, a connection between the rear ends of the said auxiliary cylinders, a'fan casing connected with the forward ends of the auxiliary cylinreceiving its air supply-therefrom, a fan IO let for one class of grain, and means for delivering the second class to the thrashing cylinder, and a driving mechanism, substantially as shown and described, whereby the cylinders are revolved and likewise the fan and elevator, as and for the purpose specified.

ISAAC W'I'IITM AN WVOODBURN.

Witnesses:

LOU F. CHAPIN, L. DALLAS. 

